Medieval Age Theatre

Middle Ages
1- Early (6th – 10th century)
2- High (10th – 13th centuy)
3- Late (13th – 16th century)
Western Europe in Middle Ages
Europe broke into small unites because of Feudalism. This meant lack of connection between
these units.
One of the main reasons of this isolation was The Christian Church using Latin as their
official language.
Theatrical performances were banned by the Roman Catholic Church as barbaric and pagan.
For about a 1500 years no“real grand secular” play was written. This time frame is known as
“Dark Ages”
10th Century is when theater sparkled again but of course, not from a secular place but because
of religious persons.
Hroswitha of Gandersheim
 Hroswitha was a religious leader and noblewoman – was attached to a monastery in
modern Germany.
 She wrote 6 plays in Latin.
 She is the first known female playwright.
 She wrote religious comedy (aka Sacred-Comedy)
 All of her plays were Closed Drama(Written not to be performed but to be read)
 She is the first known post-Roman playwright.
 Ex: Dulcitius: The story of 3 virgin, misbeliever sisters.
Hildegard of Bingen
A composer, philosopher, a genius.
Ex: The Order or Virtues: Devil tries to persuade a sister to sin.
Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester England
Ethelwold issued in 975 the “Regularis Concordia”, a monastic guidebook.
In this guidebook, Ethelwold writes about a dialouge between 3 Mary and an Angel. This
dialogue is known as Quem Quaeritis(Whom Do You Seek?)
Quem Quaeritis is the first liturgical drama. Starts with a song, words were in Latin.
Liturgical drama, in the Middle Ages, type of play acted within or near the church and
relating stories from the Bible and of the saints.
The reason behind this plays to be performed was to teach public stories in Bible, which was
in Latin therefor can not be understood by public.
Later Mediaval Theatre(13th – 16th Century)
 In the 13th century(1210) Pope issued an order banning the clergy from performing,
especially in public.
 Growth in population and trading between towns changed the lifestyle of public.
 Towns began to emerge.
 Religion started to lose its importance.
 In 13th century, in Italy, Renaissance started to effect Europe.
 Everyday language replaced Latin but the themes of the plays were still religious.
3 Types of Religious Plays
1- Mystery Plays: Biblical events, life of Christ.
2- Miracle Plays: Stories about non-Jesus religious people, Saints, Bishops etc.
3- Morality Plays: Characters teaching about moral ideas that doesn’t have to be Biblical.
In these types of plays there were symbolic characters like Love, Death etc.
Ex: Everyman, the play is the allegorical accounting of the life of Everyman, who
represents all mankind.
Cycle Plays
Cycle plays are number of plays differ in length telling stories in the Bible (Creation of Adam,
Life of Jesus etc.).
Cycle plays were out in the streets, sometimes on wagons, sometimes on fixed stages.
Different parts of related stories were on these stages simultaneously.
Characteristics of Medieval Theatre
1- Teaching about Bible/Christ
2- The good is rewarded, the evil is punished.
3- Simultaneous performances (Cycle plays).
4- Symbolic plays (Characters, costumes etc.). The meaning reached the audience
through symbols not necessarily with acting.
Guilds*
With towns beginning to emerge people doing the same jobs started to establish guilds. They
gather to defend their own rights, and do things together. These guilds effected theatre.
Ex: The Sailor Guild built Noah’s ships to tell his story etc.
Staging
There were two types of staging in Medieval Theatre.
1- Fixed
Built temporarily on mansions, scaffolds.
2- Movable
Pageant wagons paraded through the town stopping at key points (Mostly in front of
homes of important people). Each Wagon was responsible for one story.
Special Effects*
Performers and audiences in Middle ages did not care about illusion of the plays (creating
realistic plays). The only realistic touches in these performances are special effects. There
were people who work especially for these effects called Machinists or Master of The Secrets.
 Flying (Angels, Souls rising)
 Trap Doors
 Fire, Flame Effects
 Torcher (Effigies with real animal meat and bones), Execution
Playwrighting – Acting – Actors – Music - Audience
 At the beginning clergy were playwrights and actors.
 In the late Medieval Ages, everyone could be an actor.
 Very few women took place in Medieval plays.
 One actor played several roles.
 Some of the actors received fees. Most of the time they weren’t get paid.
 The most important skill was the voice in acting.
 They used chorus in heavenly scenes most of the time. During the intermissions there
were music played by professional orchestras.
 The audience were from everywhere in town.
Secular Drama
Universities were important in shaping the late Middle Ages. They replaced monasteries in
education. They were the reason for researches about subjects other than religion.
 The Church’s role is declined around late 13th century.
 Secular Drama first appeared in France in the late 13th century.